PAC Absence Entry Training Guide Visit the PAC Time and Absence page for more information on HR related policies, processes and training. PAC Absence Entry Absence Only Reporters and Timesheet Reporters enter their vacation, sick, personal and other types of absences in through Employee Self Service in PAC. Absence only reporters enter absence requests through the Absence Management pages. Timesheet Reporters enter absence requests either through the Absence Management pages or through their timesheet. Refer to the PAC Timesheet Entry Training Guide for more information. This training guide provides detailed information on how to submit absences through the Absence Management pages. Overview Absences can be entered for future time off or retroactively (within certain guidelines, as needed). They can consist of single day, partial day or multiple day entries. They can also be saved to be submitted at a later date. The Absence Request History page provides a history of absences and statuses and the Absence Forecasting Tool is an interactive tool that assists with future time off planning. Managers and Department Time Administrators (DTAs) can also enter and modify your absences if needed. You will receive an email notification when anyone approves or modifies your absences. Absence Entry Training Guide April 2018 Page 1 of 20
Table of Contents PAC Absence Entry 1 Overview 1 Request Absences 3 Absence Types 3 Log in to PAC Time and Absence 3 Viewing Absence Balances 4 Enter Absence Details 5 Select the Absence Type 5 Enter the Start and End Dates for the Absence. 5 Partial Days Option 6 Click the Calculate Duration Button 8 Enter a Comment (Optional) 10 Submit the Absence Request 10 Save the Absence Request for Later 10 Retroactive Absence Entries 11 Departments not using the Quarterly Closeout Process 11 Departments using the Quarterly Closeout Process (for Absence Only Reporters) 11 Time Reporters 11 Absence Request History Page 12 Editing Absence Requests 13 Edit an Absence Request Unprocessed and Unapproved Entries Only 13 Cancel an Absence Request 14 Denied and Pushed Back Absences 17 Edit a Processed Absence Entry 17 Denied and Pushed Back Absences 18 Absence Forecasting 19 Using the Forecasting Worksheet 20 Page 2 of 20
Request Absences Absence Types The following absence types can be requested. Vacation Personal Sick NYC Sick Jury Duty Bereavement Marriage Used for vacation Used for personal time off Used for illness Used for employee s medical appointments and the care of an ill family member Used when you must report for jury duty Used for the death of an eligible family member Used in the event of marriage. Union 1199 employees only Birth/Adoption Used in the event of a birth/adoption of a child. Union 1199 employees only Important! For information regarding your eligibility, entitlement, rate of accrual and usage for these types of absences, Officers and Non-Union Support Staff can refer to their benefit information and Union Support Staff can refer to their specific union contract. Log in to PAC Time and Absence 1. Open your browser and navigate to my.columbia.edu. 2. Click Log In Now. 3. Enter your UNI and Password. 4. Click Login. You are on the Faculty and Staff page. 5. Click the Submit Absence Requests link in the PAC Time and Absence section. Note: If you are already in PAC, the menu navigation is: Self-Service > Time Reporting > Report Time > Absence Request Page 3 of 20
Viewing Absence Balances To see your absence balances for Vacation, Personal, Sick and NYC Sick, navigate to Self-Service > Time Reporting > View Time > Absence Balances. Time earned is calculated based on your employee type and is credited at the end of the pay period in which it is earned. It is then available to be used in the following period. Absences entered since the last processing date are not included on this page (as they have not yet been processed). You are entitled to use, in a given pay period, the paid time off available at the beginning of that period. Your balances update after the processing date for each pay period by subtracting time taken and adding in any time earned. Personal time taken will be subtracted before time earned is added. The Balance as of column is the date of the last absence process finalization and the date the balance is as of. The Entitlement Name column displays the absence. If 0 or negative balance exists, it will not appear on this page but are displayed on the Absence Request and Absence Forecasting Tool pages. The From and To date columns display the dates of the current fiscal year. The Accrual Period column displays that the balance is accrued year to date. Page 4 of 20
Enter Absence Details Select the Absence Type Select the absence type from the Absence Name drop down menu. The Filter by Type field is not required. Once a selection is made, additional entry fields appear as well as the current balance (as of the last pay period) for absence types that have balances. Note any balance information that displays and ensure you have enough time for the absence. Absence requests should not exceed your available balance. Please discuss any extenuating circumstances with your manager prior to submission. Enter the Start and End Dates for the Absence. Enter the dates into the fields in mm/dd/yy format or use the Calendar button to select a date. If the absence is for one-day, enter the same date in both the Start and End Date fields. Page 5 of 20
Partial Days Option Vacation, Personal, Sick, and NYC Sick absences can be taken in partial increments. Other types are taken as full days only. 1. To indicate that any of the time in your request consists of a partial absence, select the appropriate option from the Partial Days dropdown menu. 2. Enter the number of partial hours or half-day indicator as applicable per the absence type and employee type. If the partial absence occurs over a multiple day period, you can also submit each day individually if you prefer. Partial Days = None for whole day(s) absences. All Days = all days in the request are partial days End Day Only = only the last day of the request is a partial day. All other days are whole days. Start Day Only = only the first day of the request is a partial day. All other days are whole days. Start and End Days = only the first and last days of the request are partial days. The in between days are whole days. Partial Day Options Examples Using a three-day period of 1/4 1/6 and requesting two (2) hours absence, this is how the system interprets the request and calculates the amount of time for the request. All Days = all three days contain a 2-hour absence, total = 6 hours End Day Only = only the last day (1/6) contains a 2-hour absence. All other days are whole days., total = 16 hours (7 hrs. on day one, 7 hrs. on day two, and 2 hrs. on day three) Start Day Only = only the first day (1/4) contains a 2-hour absence. All other days are whole days., total = 16 hours (2 hrs. on day one, 7 hrs. on day two, and 7 hrs. on day three) Start and End Days = only the first and last days (1/4 & 1/6) contains a 2-hour absence. The in between day (1/5) is a whole day. total = 11 hours (2 hrs. on day one, 7 hrs. on day two, and 2 hrs. on day three) Note: When entering a partial day for one day only, any option except Start and End Days can be selected. When entering a partial day absence, you can either work for the remainder of the day or enter another type of absence. For example, ½ vacation day plus ½ personal day, or 2 hours NYC Sick Leave and the remaining hours as worked. Page 6 of 20
Partial Day Absence Hours vs. Half-Day per Absence Type Vacation, Personal, Sick, and NYC Sick absences can be taken in partial increments. Other types are taken as full days only. Absence Only Reporters: Partial days for Vacation or Personal are taken as a half day. Sick or NYC Sick Leave are taken in hours. For vacation or personal partial day requests, a half-day indicator box appears as these types are taken in halfdays. Partial absence requests for NYC Sick time are entered in hours and the duration and balance displays in hours. Partial absence requests for Sick time are entered in hours and the duration displays in hours. Absence Only Reporters will not see a balance. Time Reporters: Partial days for Vacation, Personal, Sick or NYC Sick Leave are taken in hours. For vacation or personal partial day requests, the partial number of hours requested must be entered. The duration and balance converts to and displays in days. Partial absence requests for Sick/NYC Sick time are entered in hours and the duration and balance display in hours. Page 7 of 20
Click the Calculate Duration Button Click the Calculate Duration button and the duration of the absence displays and balance information updates (if applicable.) *When an absence falls over a holiday or a weekend, the holiday and weekend time are not counted as part of absence time usage. Negative vacation or personal time balances appear in red. Page 8 of 20
Absences that Carry Balances and How they are Displayed Vacation viewed in days PAC Absence Entry Training Guide Personal viewed in days o For Time Reporters, vacation and personal time entered in hours converts to balances in days Sick and NYC Sick viewed in hours All other absence types do not have balances o For Absence Only Reporters, NYC Sick time entered as days converts to balances in hours Absence Balance Timeframes Displayed Current Balance as of [DATE]: this is the balance for vacation/personal/sick/nyc sick time as of the last date the absence process finalized Balance Through this Request: the projected balance through the current request - vacation/personal only Balance at 06/30/ [YEAR]: the projected balance at the end of the current fiscal year - vacation/personal only If any vacation or personal time only will be in the negative, it will display in a red color alerting you that you do not have sufficient time available to use Important! Vacation balances are updated monthly and time earned for the month is not viewable until the month is completed and the absence process runs. NYC Sick Entry example. Page 9 of 20
Enter a Comment (Optional) You may enter a brief explanation of the absence in the Comments (Optional). Submit the Absence Request Click Submit to request the absence and send to your manager for approval. On the confirmation page, click Yes to confirm and then click OK to return to the Request Details page. Once submitted, the Request Details along with the Workflow Status display. Absences are in a status of Submitted until approved. You can also see the manager s name whose approval is pending for the request. Both you and your manager will receive an email stating the absence was submitted. You will also receive an email when the absence is approved, denied or pushed back. Edits can be made if needed. See the Absence Request History section for steps on how to edit absences. Save the Absence Request for Later Click Save for Later to save your entry to submit it at a later date. To submit a saved request, navigate to Self-Service > Time Reporting > View Time > Absence Request History then press the Edit button for the Absence and Submit. Page 10 of 20
Retroactive Absence Entries Absences can be entered retroactively through the Request Absence page within the following guidelines. Departments not using the Quarterly Closeout Process Absences can be entered retroactively for a period up to 180 days from the last pay period absence processing date. Departments using the Quarterly Closeout Process (for Absence Only Reporters) If your department uses the Quarterly Closeout Process, absences can only be entered retroactively as outlined below. Once the employee submits his/her Closeout, the employee cannot change or submit new absence requests for that quarter, unless the manager sends the Closeout back for Rework Once the manager has approved the Quarterly Closeout, the manager cannot change or submit new absence requests on behalf of the employee for that quarter Time Reporters Absences can be entered retroactively for a period up to 180 days from the last pay period absence processing date. If an absence needs to be entered or modified beyond these cutoff dates, speak with your manager and Department Time Administrator. Page 11 of 20
Absence Request History Page To see a history of your absence requests, their status and process dates, navigate to Self-Service > Time Reporting > View Time > Absence Request History. Your individual history record begins when your department begins using the module. The history displays absence requests for the period of time indicated in the From and Through dates at the top of the page. The default is a 7-month span but the dates can be changed to a different period of time you would like to view. Also viewable are the absence durations and by whom and how the absence was requested. The Requested By column displays the method, for example, Timesheet, Employee Absence Request, Manager Absence Request or Administrator Event. To view the absence details including any comments, click on the absence name link. If you or your manager entered any comments, they will be viewable in the comments fields in the Request History section of the page. Note that the absence cannot be edited from this view. Click the Return the Absence Request History link on the bottom to the page. You can edit unprocessed entries via the Edit button to the right of the entry. Page 12 of 20
Editing Absence Requests Unprocessed absences entries in any status (submitted/cancelled/approved/denied/pushed back) can be edited on the Absence History page either by the employee or the manager. Edit an Absence Request Unprocessed and Unapproved Entries Only You can edit the absence type for a submitted absence if you need to change the type of absence. As long as there is not a cancelled absence for the same type on the same day, it can be submitted. If the absence was saved but not yet submitted, you can edit the absence. If the absence was submitted but not approved, ask your manager to push it back to you so you are able to make edits as the submit option is not active if you ve already submitted it. See example below. If the absence was approved by your manager, it cannot be pushed back. If an already approved absence request needs to be modified and/or resubmitted for any reason, request the DTA delete the absence entry row and you will be able to resubmit a new absence request. Example of Submit button not active ask your manager to push the item back to you so you may edit it and resubmit. Edit Unprocessed/Unapproved Absences Steps 1. Click the EDIT button to the right of the entry 2. Make any needed changes to the request a. To cancel the request, click the Cancel box on the bottom of the page and then click Yes to confirm and then OK to return to the Request Details page. Refer to following example for more detail. b. To change the type of absence, select the new absence type from the Absence Name drop down list and then Submit, the request c. To change the dates of an absence, select the new start/end date and then Submit the request d. To change an event to a partial day event, Select the appropriate partial days option for the request and enter the amount of partial hours, or select the half-day indicator (as applicable) and then Submit the request Page 13 of 20
Cancel an Absence Request An absence request can be cancelled if it is pending or has been approved (but not yet processed). Cancelling an absence is best used when the absence will not be taken. If another absence request is submitted for the same type, for the same day as the cancelled absence, the system will not accept it. 1. Click the EDIT button to the right of the entry 2. Click the Cancel box on the bottom of the page. Page 14 of 20
3. Click Yes to confirm and then Ok to return to the Request Details page. You will see that the status for the request is now cancelled. Page 15 of 20
Another absence request is submitted for the same type, for the same day as the cancelled absence, the system will not accept it A different absence type can be submitted for the same day. In this example, a Personal absence was submitted the same day as a cancelled vacation absence. Note: Cancelled absences can still be approved by your manager as they are not removed from their queues. If a cancelled absence is approved, you will receive an email. Contact your Manager and DTA to request cancelled absences be removed. Page 16 of 20
Denied and Pushed Back Absences Managers can Push Back (to modify), or Deny (disallow) absence requests that require a change or need to be removed. You will receive an email if an absence is pushed back or denied. You will also be able to see the status of the request ( Push Back or Denied ) on the Absence Request History page and view any entered comments once you click on the absence name. This is in addition to any separate communication from your manager advising you of the need for the change. If a manager denies an absence, the same type of absence cannot be resubmitted even if it is for a partial day. This is the same functionality as when cancelling an absence yourself. You could submit a different type of absence but not the same as the one that was cancelled. The PAC Absence Processing Schedule job aid provides the entry deadline dates as well as when absence balances are updated and viewable each pay period. Edit a Processed Absence Entry If the edit box is greyed out accompanied by a Process Date, it indicates that the absence has processed and it cannot be accessed or edited. To edit an absence that was processed but the time off was not taken; contact your Manager and Departmental Time Administrator. Once the absence is adjusted, your history page will reflect the updated event entry and any balance adjustment will be viewable after the next absence process runs. If the total event was voided, the absence item in the history displays a status = Void and Requested By = Administrator Absence Event. If the event was modified and not voided, the adjusted entry information will overwrite the original request and be viewable in the history. The status = Approved and Requested By = Administrator Absence Event. Page 17 of 20
Denied and Pushed Back Absences Managers can Push Back (to modify), or Deny (disallow) absence requests that require a change or need to be removed. You will receive an email if an absence is pushed back or denied. You will also be able to see the status of the request ( Push Back or Denied ) on the Absence Request History page and view any entered comments once you click on the absence name. This is in addition to any separate communication from your manager advising you of the need for the change. If a manager denies an absence, the same type of absence cannot be resubmitted even if it is for a partial day. This is the same functionality as when cancelling an absence yourself. You could submit a different type of absence. Page 18 of 20
Absence Forecasting This interactive tool assists with future time off planning and provides an overview of vacation and personal days submitted or approved along with the actual and estimated accruals throughout the fiscal year. To forecast the amount of available time for a future vacation and/or personal time off request, navigate to: Self Service > Time Reporting > View Time > Absence Forecasting Tool. The tool displays the following information on the top of the page: Prior Year Carry Over Balance (Vac and Personal Days) Benefits Service Date or Union Seniority Date (as applicable) the date on which your personal accrual schedule is based. Accrual this is the actual and estimated vacation and personal day entitlements earned for the fiscal year (displayed by month). Any balance adjustments due to a Leave when less time may be earned/accrued are reflected here after the entitlement processes run (where earned time is added to your balance). Planned Absences: vacation and personal time that is Submitted or Approved plus future time off requests entered into the planning tool. Any balance adjustments due to a retroactive absence being processed are applied to the row for the month in which the actual absence event took place. Balance: the projected absence balances (in days), displayed by month for vacation and personal time, calculated using the Accrual and Planned Absences column amounts. Page 19 of 20
Using the Forecasting Worksheet Only future time off can be forecasted and is highlighted in Blue on the sheet. 1. In the Planning Tool on the bottom of the page, enter the amount of vacation or personal time into the appropriate future month and absence type ( VAC or PD ) field For whole days, enter the whole number, e.g. 3 For half days, enter.5 For hourly increments, convert the hours into a day portion. E.g. for 2 hours of a 7 hour schedule, enter.29 (7/2) 2. Click the Forecast button. The Balance column displays the projected balance 3. To forecast time with different entries, enter the new values, click the Reset button and then click Forecast If a personal day will be lost because it was not taken, the field where the day is lost will appear in red. If an absence forecast results in a projected negative balance, it will appear in red The values in these columns are real-time and are pulled into the worksheet each time the page is accessed. Thus the balances on this page will not always match those on the Absence Balance page as those balances display as of the last absence processing date. Page 20 of 20